Specimen processing container, and container main body and cover body forming the specimen processing container

ABSTRACT

A lid body  200  is divided, on its front side, into three parts, that is, a pair of first movable parts  220  in the form of curved plates on both sides of the body and a second movable part  230  in the form of a flat plate in the middle of the body. A container body  100  is provided with a front engagement member  131  which is displaceable in front and in the rear of the body  100 . The first movable parts  220  have front engagement members  221  formed at their front ends to be engageable with the front engagement member  131 . While, the second movable part  230  has a disengagement member  231  formed at the front ends. The first movable parts  220  on elastic deformation are engaged with the front engagement member  131 . When the second movable part  230  is subjected to depression of its upper face at the front end so that the disengagement member  231  causes the front engagement member  131  to be displaced forward, the engagement of the front engagement member  131  with the front engagement members  221  is released. As a result, the first movable parts  220  are separated from the container body due to their elastic restoration.

This application is a 371 of PCT/JP00/03512 filed May 31, 2000.

The present invention relates to a sample processing container foraccommodating samples therein to supply them to a variety of processes,such as chemical processing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

For the microscopic observation, the samples are usually subjected tochemical processing in advance of the observation. In this chemicalprocessing, the samples are handled while being accommodated in aprocessing container for the samples in viewpoints of prevention ofdamage and missing, clearness in classification, etc. The processingcontainer has a container body called. “cassette” in general and a lidbody for the container body.

In one process carried out on the last stage of the sample processing,the container accommodating the sample is dipped into molten paraffin ofapprox. 60° C. in order to allow paraffin to permeate the sample.

After completing this process, the lid body is opened and the sample istaken out of the container. Hitherto, this operation has been carriedout by means of an operator's hand. However, the operator was apt tohave a hard time to handle the container for its hotness. Although it isexpected to prepare an exclusive tool for opening the lid, it would bealso trouble to fit the device to the container and furthermore, thetotal cost would be increased.

SUMMARY OF THF INVENTION

With respect to the above, the object of the present invention is toprovide a sample processing container which allows the lid body to beeasily opened by the operator's performance of simple manipulationwithout using any exclusive tool.

In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention providesa sample processing container which includes: a container body having anaccommodating part for accommodating a sample therein, a frontengagement part arranged at a front of the accommodating part and a rearengagement part arranged at a rear of the accommodating part; and a lidbody whereas at least a part thereof is curved, the lid body having afront side and a rear side, the rear side of the lid body being providedwith a front engagement member which is engageable with the rearengagement part of the container body and the front side of the lid bodybeing provided with a rear engagement member which is engageable withthe front engagement part of the container body; wherein engagement ofthe front and rear engagement members of the lid body with the front andrear engagement parts of the container body respectively allows the lidbody to be fitted to the container body and causes the lid body to beelastically deformed into either a plane state or a reduced-curved statein which a degree of curvature of the lid body is reduced; and whereinreleasing the engagement of the front engagement member of the lid bodywith the front engagement part of the container body allows the lid bodyto be restored elastically, so that the front side of the lid body isseparated from the container body.

The present invention also provides a sample processing container whichincludes: a container body having an accommodating part foraccommodating a sample therein, a front engagement part arranged at afront of the accommodating part and a rear engagement part arranged at arear of the accommodating part; and a lid body having a base partprovided with a rear engagement member engageable with the rearengagement part of the container body, and first and second movableparts connected in parallel to a front side of the base part withrespect to a left-and-right direction of the sample processingcontainer; wherein the first movable part is provided with a frontengagement member engageable with the front engagement part of thecontainer body, and the second movable part is provided with adisengagement member acting on the front engagement part of thecontainer body thereby to release an engagement between the frontengagement part and the front engagement member; and wherein thecontainer body and the lid body are configured so that: the frontengagement member engages with the front engagement part under conditionthat the first movable part is deformed elastically; and when anengagement of the front engagement member with the front engagement partis released by the disengagement member, the first movable part isrestored elastically so that the front engagement member is apart fromthe front engagement part of the container body.

The present invention also provides a sample processing container whichincludes: a container body having an accommodating part foraccommodating a sample therein, a front engagement part arranged at afront of the accommodating part and a rear engagement part arranged at arear of the accommodating part; and a lid body having a base partprovided with a rear engagement member engageable with the rearengagement part of the container body, and immovable and movable partsconnected in parallel to a front side of the base part with respect to aleft-and-right direction, the immovable part being substantiallyimmovable to the base part, the movable part being movable to the basepart, the immovable part being provided with a front engagement memberwhich is engageable with the front engagement part of the containerbody; wherein the container body and the lid body are configured sothat: upon movement of the immovable part toward the front engagementpart of the container body, the immovable part engages with the frontengagement part of the container body under condition that the movablepart is deformed elastically; and when an engagement of the frontengagement member of the immovable part with the front engagement partof the container body is released by the disengagement member, themovable part is restored elastically so that the front engagement memberof the immovable part is apart from the front engagement part of thecontainer body.

The present invention is described in detail referring the attacheddrawings in which the preferred embodiments are illustrated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a sample processing container inaccordance with the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the underside of a lid body of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the underside of a container body ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 4 are sectional views of the sample processing container includinga first movable part, for explanation of the operation of the container;

FIG. 5 are sectional views of the sample processing container includinga second movable part, for explanation of the operation of thecontainer;

FIG. 6 is a view showing an area VI of FIG. 5 in detail;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the sample processing container inaccordance with the second embodiment of the present invention, showingthe lid body only;

FIG. 8 is a partial sectional view for explanation of the structure of adisengagement part formed on the lid of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 are sectional views of the sample processing container includingan immovable part, for explanation of the operation of the container;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the sample processing container includingthe movable part, for explanation of the operation of the container;

FIG. 11 are sectional views for explanation of the operation of thedisengagement part of FIG. 8, showing the right side of FIG. 10 inenlargement;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the sample processing container inaccordance with the third embodiment of the present invention, showingthe lid body only;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the sample processing container inaccordance with the third embodiment of the present invention, showingthe container body only;

FIG. 14 is a sectional view of the sample processing container includinga front engagement member, for explanation of the operation of thecontainer;

FIG. 15 is a top plan view of the sample processing container where thelid is fitted to the container body;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing the sample processing container inaccordance with the fourth embodiment of the present invention, showingthe lid only;

FIG. 17 are views for explanation of the operation of the sampleprocessing container; FIG. 17(a) is a sectional view including theimmovable part and FIG. 17(b) is a sectional view including the movablepart;

FIG. 18 is top plan view of the sample processing container where thelid is fitted to the container body;

FIG. 19 is a view for explanation of the using method of the sampleprocessing container; and

FIG. 20 are views for explanation of the using method of the sampleprocessing container.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below, withreference to the drawings.

[1st. Embodiment]

The first embodiment of the invention will be described with referenceto FIGS. 1 to 6. In order to simplify the explanation, theleft-and-front side of FIG. 1 is called “rear” in the specification, theright-and-back side of the figure “front”, the right-and-front side ofthe figure “left”, the left-and-backside of the figure “right”, theupside of the figure “upper”, and the downside of the figure is called“lower”, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 1, the sample processing container includes a containerbody 100 and a lid body 200 detachably fitted to the container body 100.The container body 100 and the lid body 200 are together shaped to bebilaterally symmetrical. The container body 100 and the lid body 200 aremade of resinous material and integrally formed by means of a techniquesuch as injection molding. Preferably, polyacetal is used as theresinous material.

As shown in FIG. 1, the container body 100 has an accommodating part 110for accommodating a sample, a rear engagement part 120 arranged at therear of the accommodating part 110 and a front engagement part 130arrange at a front of the accommodating part 110.

First, the constitution of the accommodating part 110 will be describedhereinafter. As shown in FIG. 1, the accommodating part 110 is formed byleft and right sidewalls 111 in pairs, a front wall 112, a rearwall 113and a bottom wall 114. These walls 111-114 define a generallyrectangular-shaped sample accommodating space 115 whose upside isopened. On the bottom wall 114, a plurality of circular through-holes116 are formed in a grid pattern.

Next, the structure of the rear engagement part 120 will be described.As shown in FIGS. 1, 4 and 5, the rear engagement part 120 is defined bythe rear wall 113 of the accommodating part 110 and a slant wall 121joined to the rear wall 113. Left and right ends of the slant wall 121are joined to rear extension parts 111 a, 111 a of the sidewalls 111,111, respectively. The slant wall 121 is slanted to a horizontal planewith an angle of 45 degrees. The slant wall 121 is provided, on itsinterior top end, with a step part 122 for engagement with an engagementclaw 212 of a rear engagement member 211 of the lid body 200 mentionedin detail later. The step part 122 is formed to extend in theleft-and-right direction while maintaining an identical cross-section.Defined between the slant wall 120 and the rear wall 113 is a space 123whose bottom side is opened. The rear wall 113 and the slant wall 121are joined to each other at respective top ends thereof; neverthelessthe resulting joined part is removed in the middles of the walls in theleft-and-right direction, producing an opening 124. The opening 124 isformed to receive the later-described rear engagement member 211.

The constitution of the front engagement part 130 is as follows. A frontengagement member 131 in the form of an upright plate and the front wall112 of the accommodating part 110 constitute the front engagement part130. The front engagement member 131 extends in the left-and-rightdirection. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the front engagement member 131 isprovided, at a top end thereof, with an engagement claw 132 projectingrearward for engagement with a front engagement member 221 of a firstmovable part 220 of the lid body 200 mentioned in detail later. Theengagement claw 132 is formed to extend in the left-and-right directionwhile maintaining an identical cross-section.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the front engagement member 131 has left andright ends connected to front extension parts 111 b, 111 b of thesidewalls 111, 111, respectively. A gap 133 is defined between the frontengagement member 131 and the front wall 112 of the accommodating part110 (see FIGS. 4 and 5).

As shown in FIG. 3, in the vicinities of left and right ends of thefront engagement member 131, there are formed slits 134, 134 whichextend up and down, at bilaterally symmetrical positions of the member131. Additionally, there are formed, inside the slits 134, 134, slits135, 135 which extend up and down, at bilaterally symmetrical positionsof the member 131. Owing to the provision of the slits 134, 135, theengagement claw 132 as an engagement element of the front engagementmember 131 is connected with the front extension parts 111 b, 111 b ofboth sidewalls 111 through thin horizontal joint parts 136, 136 andvertical joint parts 137, 137, respectively. Therefore, if a force inthe front-and-rear direction is applied on the engagement claw 132, thevertical joint parts 137, 137 prefer to bend rather than the otherportions. Consequently, the engagement claw 132 and the front engagementmember 131 close to the claw 132 are capable of smooth swing about animaginary axis which extends in the left-and-right direction through thevertical joint parts 137, without producing any distortion inthemselves. With the swing movements, the engagement claw 132 of thefront engagement member 131 and the vicinities can move in thefront-and-rear direction [see FIG. 4(b)].

The lid body 200 will be described below. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, thelid body 200 has a generally flat plate-shaped configuration. Aplurality of truncated conical through-holes 201 are formed in a gridpattern on the whole surface of the lid body 200. The lid body 200 hashemispheric projections 202 formed at the four corners of the upper faceof the lid body 200.

The lid body 200 comprises a base part 210 positioned on the rear sideof the body, a pair of first movable parts 220, 220 and a second movablepart 230. The first movable parts 220 and the second movable part 230are together shaped in the form of tongue pieces. The second movablepart 230 is interposed between the first movable parts 220, 220 in leftand right. The first movable parts 220, 220 and the second movable part230 are connected in parallel to the only one base part 210 along theleft-and-right direction. That is, the parts 220, 230 are capable ofmoving in relation to the base part 210. In this embodiment, the lidbody 200 is provided with two slits 203 formed in the front portionwhile leaving the base part 210, to divide the front portion into threepieces providing the first and second movable parts 220, 230.

In the constituents of the lid body 200, the base part 300 has thefollowing structure. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the base part 210 isshaped to be a substantially flat plate. At the rear end of the basepart 210, the rear engagement member 211 is formed to extend downward.The rear engagement member 211 is provided, at a tip thereof, with theengagement claw 212. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the rear engagementmember 211 can be inserted into the space 123 between the slant wall 121and the rear wall 113 through the opening 124 of the container body 100.Further, by engaging the engagement claw 212 with the step part 122 ofthe slant wall 121, it allows the rear end of the lid body 200 to engagewith the container body 100. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the width of theengagement claw 212 in the front-and-rear direction is smaller than thewidth of the opening 124 in the same direction. Therefore, it ispossible to attach the rear engagement member 211 of the lid body 200 tothe rear engagement part 120 of the container body 100 and also possibleto detach the former from the latter with ease.

Next, the structures of the first movable parts 220 and the secondmovable part 230 will be described below. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, thesecond movable part 230 is shaped to be substantially flat and alsoformed to extend forward in a plane generally-identical to a planecontaining the base part 210 of a flat plate. On the other hand, each ofthe first movable parts 220 is curved (or arched) as if it weregradually apart from the above plane containing the base part 210 asapproaching the front end, on condition that no external force isapplied on the part 220.

The so-curved first movable part 220 is capable of elastic deformationin a manner that its front end can move in directions (substantially,the upward-and-downward direction) to approach and leave the frontengagement part 130 of the container body 100. Similarly, the secondmovable part 230 is also capable of elastic deformation in a manner thatits front end can move in directions (substantially, theupward-and-downward direction) to approach and leave the frontengagement part 130 of the container body 100.

The first movable parts 220 have their front ends each divided into twoportions in the left-and-right direction. In these leading ends of themovable part 220, the inside end, that is, one closer to the secondmovable part 230 is provided with a front engagement member 221. Thefront engagement member 221 extends downward and has, at a lowerthereof, an engagement element, i.e. an engagement claw 222 projectingforward. The front engagement members 221 can be inserted into the gap133 between the front wall 112 and the front engagement member 131.Then, by mutually engaging the engagement claw 132 of the frontengagement member 131 with the engagement claws 222 of the frontengagement members 221, it allows the front end of the lid body 200 tobe fixed with the container body 100 [see FIG. 4(b)].

In the leading ends of the movable part 220, the outside end, that is,one apart from the second movable part 230 is provided with a tab 225for assisting the user's operation to open the lid body 200.

While, as shown in FIGS. 2, 5 and 6, the intermediate second movablemember 230 is provided, at a tip thereof, with a wedge-shaped projection231 (i.e. a disengagement member) having a generally triangularcross-section and projecting downward. The projection 231 is provided,on its front side, with a slant face 232.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the second movable part 230 has a thin partarranged on the rear side of the projection 231, forming a run-off 233on the underside of the part 230. Additionally, the center top of thefront wall 112 of the container body 100 is notched obliquely.Consequently, it is possible to exclude the second movable part 230 frominterference with the front wall 112, which might be caused at a time ofoperating the part 230.

As shown in FIG. 2, on the under face of the base part 210, a squarebracket-shaped projection 213 is formed to project downward. Further,each of the first movable parts 220 has a projection 226 formed on itsunder face to project downward and also extend in the left-and-rightdirection. The projection 213 abuts against the respective inner facesof the sidewalls 111, 111 and the rear wall 113 of the container body100, while the projections 226 abuts against the inner face of the frontwall 112 of the container body 100, accomplishing the positioning of thelid body 200 to the container body 100. The projection 213 furtherfunctions as rib to improve the rigidity of the base part 210. Theprojections 213, 226 may be altered with regard to their configurationand position providing that they can effect functions similar to thoseof this embodiment.

Next, a method of getting the lid body 200 on and off the container body100 will be described below.

In order to attach the lid body 200 to the container body 100, the rearengagement members 211 of the base part 210 of the lid body 200 isinserted into the opening 124 of the container body 100, thereby toengage the step part 122 formed on the slant wall 121 with theengagement claw 212 of the rear engagement member 211.

In this state, when the lid body 200 is mounted on the top face of thecontainer body 100, then the base part 210 and the second movable part230 of the lid body 200 become parallel with the opening face of thecontainer body 100 thereby to cover the upside of the accommodating part110 of the container body 100. Then, there is established a conditionwhere the projection 231 at the tip of the second movable part 230touches or adjoins the upper end of the front engagement member 131 ofthe container body 100 while leaving a slight clearance [see FIG. 5(a)and FIG. 6]. Therefore, in such a condition, the second movable part 230has already operated as lid for covering the accommodating part 110. Onthe contrary, the curved first movable members 220 are apart from theopening face of the container body 100, realizing a so-called“semi-opening” condition [see FIG. 4(a)].

Next, the top faces of the front ends of the first movable parts 220 isdepresses by tweezers, fingers or the like [see FIG. 4(b)].Consequently, the respective engagement claws 222 of the frontengagement members 221 enter into the gap 133 while their slant faces222 a urge the engagement claw 132 of the front engagement member 131forward. After insertion of the claws 222, the front engagement member131 recover elastically, whereby the respective engagement claws 222 ofthe front engagement members 221 are engaged with the engagement claw132 of the front engagement member 131 [see FIG. 4(b)]. The under facesof the first movable parts 220 at the front ends and the rear faces ofthe front engagement members 221 are respectively supported by the frontwall 112 of the accommodating part 110 of the container body 100.

In this way, the front engagement members 221 of the first movable parts220 of the lid body 200 are engaged with the front engagement part 130of the container body 100, realizing the first movable parts 220 beingin the closed state. Then, the first movable parts 220 are settled intheir elastically-deformed condition and also flattened substantially.The plural (two) front engagement members 221 are together engaged withthe single engagement member 131 in the same manner. In this way, therecan be completed an operation to fit the lid body 200 to the containerbody 100. When the lid body 200 is fitted to the container body 100 inthe above way, the entire lid body 200 becomes a flat plate, thereby tocover the upside of the accommodating part 110.

The operation to detach the lid body 200 from the container body 100will be described. First, the top of the second movable part 230 at thefront end is depressed by tweezers or the like [see arrow of FIG. 5(b)].During the descent of the projection 231 of the second movable part 230,the slant face 232 at the front of the projection 231 comes into contactwith the top of the front engagement member 131 (i.e. the engagementclaw 132 in the embodiment) of the container body 100 thereby to bendthe member 131 elastically while moving the top of the member 131, thatis, the engagement claw 132 forward [see FIG. 5(b)].

With the deformation of the front engagement member 131, there issimultaneously released the engagement between the engagement claw 132of the front engagement member 131 and the claws 222 of the frontengagement members 221 of the first movable parts 220, as shown withtwo-dot chain line of FIG. 4(b). As a result, the first movable parts220, which have been elastically deformed and engaged with the frontengagement part 130, return the “semi-opening” position indicated bytwo-dot chain line of FIG. 4(b) and are separated from the containerbody 100 upward. Under this situation, it is possible to greatly openthe lid body 200 by pinching the tabs 225 of the first movable parts 220by means of tweezers or the like. By continuously withdrawing the rearengagement members 211 of the lid body 200 out of the opening 124 of thecontainer body 100 while taking the tabs 225 between the tweezers, itallows the lid body 200 to be separated from the container body 100perfectly.

As mentioned above, according to this embodiment, the lid body 200 canbe easily put on and taken off the container body 100 with an user'ssingle action. It is expected that if any force in the oblique orleft-and-right direction is required to open the lid body 100, theconventional sample processing container would be disadvantageouslymoved to make the operation hard because of its light-weight structure.According to this embodiment, since the lid body 100 can be opened byonly applying a downward force on the container of the embodiment, thereis no possibility that the container is unexpectedly moved beforeopening the lid body, effecting an advantage of making the user'soperation with ease.

It should be noted that, although the drawings of this embodimentillustrate the structure where the front engagement part 131 of thecontainer body 100 is displaced by the butting of the projection 231 ofthe second movable part 230 against only the front engagement member131, the present invention is not limited to this arrangement. Thus, inthe modification, the projection 231 may be formed so as to move thefront engagement member 131 while butting not only the member 131 butalso the front wall 112. Then, the projection 231 operates as a wedgefor expanding the gap 133.

The cross section of the projection 231 is not limited to triangularshape of the embodiment. Further, the projection 231 is not necessarilyprovided with the slant face 232. Alternatively, the front engagementmember 131 may include a slant face. That is, at least either one of theprojection 231 and the front engagement member 131 has only to beequipped with means that the front engagement member 131 butting theprojection 231 could be displaced in front by depressing the secondmovable part 230 downward.

Although the first movable parts 220 are together engaged with the frontengagement part 130 by the mutual engagement of claw-shaped members (theengagement claws 132, 222) in this embodiment, the present invention isnot limited to only the shown engagement form. That is, there may beadopted an arrangement where the front engagement member 131 has, inplace of the engagement claw 132, a recess formed to extend in theleft-and-right direction and the first movable parts 220 have respectiveprojections formed for engagement with the recess. In short, anystructure will do so long as the front engagement member 131 can preventthe first movable parts 220 upon elastically deformation from beingdisplaced upward and further, the engagement of the movable parts 220with the first engagement part 130 can be released by moving the frontengagement member 131 in the front-and-rear direction.

[2nd. Embodiment]

With reference to FIGS. 7 to 11, the second embodiment of the inventionwill be described. The second embodiment differs from the firstembodiment in the provision of a lid body 300 in place of the above lidbody 200 of the first embodiment. The second embodiment is similar tothe first embodiment in terms of the structure of the container body 100and therefore, the redundant descriptions about the container body 100are omitted.

As shown in FIG. 7, the lid body 300 has a top wall 301, a pair ofsidewalls 302, 302, a front wall 303 and a rear wall 304, in the form ofa box having its underside opened.

On the entire surface of the top wall 301, there are formed a pluralityof truncated conical through-holes 305 in a grid pattern. Further, aplurality of rectangular through-holes 306 are formed in both sidewalls302, the front wall 303 and the rear wall 304. The lid body 300 isshaped in bilateral symmetry. Note, similarly to the first embodiment,the top wall 301 may be provided, at the four corners of the upper face,with hemispherical projections.

The lid body 300 includes a base part 310 arranged on the rear side anda pair of immovable parts 320, 320 and a movable part 330 both arrangedon the front side. The movable part 330 is interposed between the leftand right immovable parts 320, 320.

Owing to the formation of two slits 307 in the front portion of the lidbody 300 while leaving the base part 310 on the rear side of thegenerally box-shaped lid body 300 thereby to divide the front portion ofthe lid body 300 into three pieces, there can be provided the immovablepart 320 and the movable parts 330 mentioned above. The lid body 300 ismade of resinous material and integrally formed by means of a techniquesuch as injection molding. Polyacetal is suitable for the resinousmaterial.

The structure of the base part 310 of the lid body 300 will bedescribed. As shown in FIG. 7, the base part 310 is formed by therespective rear portions of the top wall 301 and both sidewalls 302, andthe rear wall 304. Each of the immovable parts 320 is formed by alateral portion of the front part of the top wall 301, a front portionof the sidewall 302 and a side portion of the front wall 303. Themovable part 330 is formed by an intermediate portion of the front partof the top wall 301 and a center portion of the front wall 303.

Therefore, the respective immovable parts 320, 320 are adapted so as tobe immovable against the base part 310. While, the movable part 330 isconstructed to be movable to the base pat 310, in other words,displaceable against the part 310.

The top wall (part) 301 forming the movable part 330 is curved so as tobe gradually apart from a plane containing the top wall (part) 301forming the base part 310 as approaching the front end of the lid body300. FIG. 7 shows the lid body 300 in a condition where no externalforce is applied thereon.

On the lower end of the front wall 301 forming the immovable parts 320,there are provided the front engagement members 221 on the inside of thewall 301 in the left-and-right direction (which are identical to thoseof the first embodiment) and the tabs 225 on the outside of the wall 301in the same direction.

As shown in FIG. 9, the lower end of the front wall 301, which isconnected to the front engagement members 221, is bent forward so thatan under face of the so that part provides a seat 321 for contact withthe top face of the front wall 112 of the container body 100 [see FIG.9(a)]. The front engagement members 221 are formed to extend downward.As shown in FIG. 7, the tabs 225 are formed to extend forward, so thatthe under faces of the tabs 225 provide the seats 226 for contact withthe top face of the front wall 112 of the container body 100.

As shown in FIG. 7, the front wall 303 forming the movable part 330 isprovided with a disengagement part 331. As minutely shown in FIG. 8, thedisengagement part 331 is formed by a disengagement member 332 and asupporting member 333 for supporting the disengagement member 332rotatably. The supporting member 333 is generally U-shaped to have bothends thereof (only one shown in FIG. 8) joined to the front wall 303forming the movable part 330. The supporting member 333 is coupled tothe disengagement member 332 through a thin-walled connecting part 334in comparison with its environs. Therefore, the disengagement member 332is capable of rotation about an axis 335 passing through the connectingpart 334 in the left-and-right direction (see arrow of FIG. 8).

As shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 11, the under face of a connecting partbetween a part 333 a of the supporting member 333 extending in thefront-and-rear direction and the front wall 303 provides a seat 336 forcontact with the top face of the front wall 112 of the container body100. Additionally, the under face of a part 333 b of the supportingmember 333 extending in the left-and-right direction provides a seat 337for contact with the top face of the front engagement member 131 of thecontainer body 100.

A member indicated with reference numeral 303 a in FIG. 8 is identicalto a part of the front wall 303, which is remained to prevent thesamples from getting out of the container.

The method of getting the lid body 300 on and off the container body 100will be described. In the same way as the first embodiment, first insertthe rear engagement members 211 into the opening 124 of the containerbody 100 thereby to engage the step part 122 formed on the slant wall121 with the engagement claw 212 of the rear engagement member 211.

Subsequently, when putting the lid body 300 on the container body 100,the seats 336, 337 of the movable part 330 being curved downward arerespectively seated on the container body 100, so that the front ends ofthe immovable parts 320 are respectively separated from the front end ofthe container body 100, realizing the semi-opening condition. That is,the immovable parts 320 and the movable part 330 are brought into thecondition shown in FIG. 9(a) and the leading end of the movable part330, which is eliminated in FIG. 9(a), is seated on the upper faces ofthe front wall 112 and the front engagement member 131, as shown in FIG.11 in the rough.

Next, as shown with arrow in FIG. 9(a), the upper face of the front endof the front wall 301 forming the immovable part 320 is depresseddownward by means of tweezers etc. (or hand, finger, etc.). Then, thetop wall 301 forming the movable part 330 is elastically deformed tochange its curved state to the generally flat condition [see arrow ofFIG. 9(a)], while the front engagement members 221 at the front end ofthe immovable parts 320 are engaged with the front engaging part 130 ofthe container body 100.

FIGS. 9(a), 10 and 11 illustrate the relationship between the immovableand movable parts 320, 330 and the front engagement part 130 of thecontainer body 100 after the above engagement operation has beencompleted.

In detail, as shown in FIG. 9(b), the respective seats 321 of theimmovable parts 320 are seated on the top face of the front wall 112 ofthe container body 100, while the seats 226 of the tabs 225 are seatedon the top face of the front engagement member 131 (not shown). Then,the front engagement members 221 of the immovable parts 320 are engagedwith the front engagement part 130 of the container body 100. (Note, theengaging manner of the front engagement members 221 with the frontengagement part 130 is similar to that of the first embodiment.)

The seats 336 of the movable parts 330 is seated on the top face of thefront wall 112 of the container body 100, while the seats 337 of themovable part 330 is seated on the top face of the front engagementmember 131. Then, the disengagement member 332 enters into the gap 131between the front wall 112 the container body 100 and the frontengagement member 131.

When the engaging operation is completed, the top wall 301 of the lidbody 300 forming the movable parts 330 becomes substantially flat, sothat the immovable parts 320 and the movable part 330 are generallyoverlapped with each other in a view of the left-and-right direction. Inother words, the portions of the immovable and movable parts 320, 330formed by the top wall 301 are substantially included in an identicalplane. Then, the lid body 300 is turned to be a box whose lower side isopened, performing the function as the lid for concealing the upside ofthe accommodating part 110 of the container body 100.

Next, we describe an operation to detach the lid body 300 from thecontainer body 100. First, depress a control face 338 of thedisengagement member 332 facing substantially upward by tweezers or thelike [see arrow of FIG. 11(a)]. As a result, the disengagement member332 rotates about the axis 335 as its rotation center. Thus, an actionface 339 of the disengagement member 332 directing generally forwardallows the top end portion of the front engagement member 131 of thecontainer body 100 (i.e. a part of the engagement claw 131 in thisembodiment) to move forward [see FIG. 11(b)].

With this movement, there is simultaneously released the engagementbetween the immovable parts 320 and the front engagement members 131 ofthe container body 100. As a result, since the top wall 301 forming themovable part 330 intends to be restored by its elasticity, the tips ofthe immovable parts 320 are separated from the container body 100 to thesemi-opening position. Under this situation, it is possible to greatlyopen the lid body 300 by pinching the tabs 225 of the immovable parts320 by means of tweezers or the like. By continuously withdrawing therear engagement members 211 of the lid body 300 out of the opening 124of the container body 100 while taking the tabs 225 between thetweezers, it allows the lid body 300 to be separated from the containerbody 100 perfectly.

Also in this embodiment, since the application of a downward force bymeans of the tweezers allows the lid body 300 to be opened with theuser's single action, the sample processing container can exhibitconsiderably excellent workability.

[3rd. Embodiment]

Next, with reference to FIGS. 12 to 15, the third embodiment of theinvention will be described. The third embodiment differs from the firstembodiment in that the front side of a lid body is not divided intothree and the front engagement member of the container body has adifferent shape from that of the first embodiment. As to the otherconstitution, the third embodiment is substantially equal to the firstembodiment. Note, in the third embodiment, elements similar to those ofthe first embodiment are indicated with the same reference numeralsrespectively and their redundant descriptions are omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, a lid body 200A of this embodiment is inthe form of a curved plate. In detail, the lid body 200A is shaped to bea flat plate at the rear area having the projection 213 and also acurved plate at front area. In the modification, the lid body 200A maybe curved as a whole.

As similar to the lid body 200 of the first embodiment, the lid body 200is also provided with the rear engagement member 212 at the rear end andthe pair of front engagement members 221 at the front end at apredetermined interval in the left-and-right direction. At the front endof the lid body 200A, a notch 240 is defined between the frontengagement members 221 in pairs.

As shown in FIG. 13, a container body 100A of the embodiment includes afront engagement member 131A different from the front engagement member131 of the container body 100 of the first embodiment, in respect ofstructure.

That is, the bottom wall 114 of the container body 100A is extendedahead of the front wall 112. The front engagement member 131A standsupright on an extension part 114 a of the bottom wall 114 to extend inthe left-and-right direction. The front engagement member 131A ispartially cut away at its front-and-lower parts on both left and rightsides (see reference numeral 140), providing thin-walled portions.

The front engagement member 131A has openings 141, 141 formed forengagement with the engagement claws 222, 222 of the front engagementmember 221 of the lid body 200A. Further, the front engagement member131A is provided, at its top, with a slant face 142.

The front engagement member 131A constructed above is capable ofswinging (rotating) about an imaginary axis extending in theleft-and-right direction similarly to the front engagement member 131 ofthe first embodiment. Owing to the swing action of this member, theopenings 141 and the vicinities are capable of displacement in thefront-and-rear direction.

The constitution of the container body 100A is identical to that of thecontainer body 100 of the first embodiment, except the above-mentionedstructure.

Next, the method of getting the lid body 200A on and off the containerbody 100A will be described. First of all, as similar to the firstembodiment, insert the rear engagement members 211 into the opening 124of the container body 100A thereby to engage the step part 122 formed onthe slant wall 121 with the engagement claw 212 of the rear engagementmember 211.

In this state, when the lid body 200A is mounted on the top face of thecontainer body 100A, then the rear part of the lid body 200A(corresponding to the base part 210 of the first embodiment) becomesparallel with the opening face of the container body 100A thereby tocover the upside of the accommodating part 110 of the container body100A. Then, there is established the so-called “semi-opening” conditionwhere the front part of the lid body 200A is apart from the containerbody 100A (i.e. the front engagement member 131).

Next, the top face of the front end of the lid body 200A is depressed bytweezers, fingers or the like. Consequently, the respective engagementclaws 222 of the front engagement members 221 enter into the gap 133while their slant faces 222 a urge the front engagement member 130Aforward. After insertion of the claws 222, the front engagement member131A recover elastically, whereby the respective engagement claws 222 ofthe front engagement members 221 are engaged in the openings 141 of thefront engagement member 131. Note, the under face of the lid body 200Aat the front end and the rear faces of the front engagement members 221are respectively supported by the front wall 112 of the accommodatingpart 110 of the container body 100A.

In this way, the front engagement members 221 of the lid body 200A areengaged with the front engagement part 130 of the container body 10A,realizing the lid body 200A being in the closed state. Then, the lidbody 200 is settled in their elastically-deformed condition and alsoflattened substantially. In this way, there can be completed anoperation to fit the lid body 200A to the container body 100A. When thelid body 200A is fitted to the container body 100A in the above way, theentire lid body 200A becomes a flat plate thereby to cover the upside ofthe accommodating part 110.

FIG. 15 shows a top view of the front side of the sample processingcontainer in the above-mentioned state. As shown in FIG. 15, owing tothe provision of the notch 240 at the front end of the lid body 200A,the gap 133 between the front engagement member 131A and the front wall112 is exposed, at the area including the notch, to the upward withoutbeing covered with the lid body 200A. Therefore, it is possible toinsert the tips of the tweezers etc. (i.e. a predetermined tool) intothe gap 133 from the upside. In connection, since the front engagementmember 131A and the front wall 112 have the slant walls 142, 112 arespectively, they allow the tips of the tweezers to be easily insertedinto the gap owing to the guide action of the slant walls.

When the tips of the tweezers are inserted into the gap 133, the frontengagement member 131A is elastically deformed by the tweezers' wedgeaction, so that the upper part of the member 131A is displaced in front[see chain line of FIG. 14(b)]. Consequently, the engagement between theclaws 222 of the front engagement members 221 and the openings 141 ofthe front engagement member 131A is released.

Then, since the lid body 200A intends to be restored to the originalshape due to its elasticity, the front side of the lid body 200A isseparated from the container body 100A as shown with chain line of FIG.14(b). Thereafter, the lid body 200A can be separated from the containerbody 100A in the similar way to that of the first embodiment.

Also in this embodiment, since the application of a downward force bymeans of the tweezers allows the lid body 200A to be opened with theuser's single action, the sample processing container can exhibitconsiderably excellent workability. Additionally, according to theembodiment, it is possible to take effect of simplifying theconstitution of the lid body in comparison with the first embodiment.

Although the front wall 112 of the container body 100A is employed as apart of the front engagement part 130 in the above-mentioned embodiment,the present invention is not limited to this arrangement. In themodification, another wall member (i.e. an immovable member) differentfrom the front wall 112 may be arranged so as to oppose the frontengagement member 131 at a predetermined interval. In such a case, thefront engagement member 221 of the lid body 200 is inserted between thewall member and the front engagement member 131.

[4th. Embodiment]

Next, with reference to FIGS. 16 to 18, the fourth embodiment of theinvention will be described. The fourth embodiment differs from thesecond embodiment in that no disengagement member is arranged in frontof the lid body while adopting the container body 100A of the thirdembodiment. As to the other constitution, the third embodiment issubstantially equal to the second embodiment. Note, in the fourthembodiment, elements similar to those of the second (or third)embodiment are indicated with the same reference numerals respectivelyand their redundant descriptions are omitted.

As shown in FIG. 16, the constitution of a lid body 300A of theembodiment corresponds to a structure obtained as a result of removingthe part 333 b of the supporting member 333 from the lid body 300 of thesecond embodiment. Although the supporting member 333 still includes thepart 333 a of the second embodiment, the same part 333 a is remained foronly purpose of providing the seat 336 to be seated on the top face ofthe front wall 112 of the container body 100A.

Next, the method of getting the lid body 300A on and off the containerbody 100A will be described. The process of fitting the lid body 300A tothe container body 100A is substantially identical to that of the secondembodiment.

FIG. 17 and FIG. 18 illustrates a condition where the lid body 300A isfitted to the container body 10A. That is, as shown in FIG. 17(a), thefront engagement members 221 of the immovable parts 320 enter into thegap 133, so that the claws 222 of the members 221 are engaged with theopenings 141 of the front engagement member 131A. Further, as shown inFIG. 17(b), the seat 336 of the movable part 330 is seated on the topface of the front wall 112 of the container body 10A.

FIG. 18 shows a top view of the front side of the sample processingcontainer in the above-mentioned state. As shown in FIG. 18, in front ofthe movable part 330, the gap 133 between the front engagement member131A and the front wall 112 is not covered with the lid body 200A butexposed to the upside. Therefore, it is possible to insert the tip of amember, such as tweezers, into the gap 133 from the upside.

When the member such as tweezers is inserted into the gap 133, the frontengagement member 131A is displaced to release the engagement betweenthe front engagement member 131A and the front engagement members 221 ofthe immovable parts 320. Consequently, as similar to the secondembodiment, the movable part 330 is restored elastically and the frontsides of the immovable parts 320 are separated from the container body100A. Thereafter, the lid body 300A can be separated from the containerbody 100A in the similar way to that of the second embodiment.

Also in this embodiment, since the application of a downward force bymeans of the tweezers allows the lid body 300A to be opened with theuser's single action, the sample processing container can exhibitconsiderably excellent workability. Additionally, according to theembodiment, it is possible to take effect of simplifying theconstitution of the lid body in comparison with that of the secondembodiment.

As can be understood by the above explanation, the features in commonwith the first embodiment to the fourth embodiment reside in that thelid body is fitted to the container body while not deforming anycomponent accompanied with the lid body but the lid body's essentialpart to cover the accommodating part 110 elastically and the lid bodycan be easily opened by releasing the elastic deformation of theessential part and that the disengagement of the lid body from thecontainer body can be accomplished by only applying a downward force.

With reference to FIGS. 19 and 20, we now describe a method ofprocessing the samples by the sample processing container. Here at, wedescribe a method of using the sample processing container in accordancewith the first embodiment; nevertheless the method is applicable to thesample processing containers in accordance with the second embodiment tothe fourth embodiment of the invention.

First, accommodate the samples (not shown in FIG. 19) in the containerbody 100 (or the container body 100A) and further fit the lid body 200(or any one of the lid bodies 200A, 300, 300A). Next, as shown in FIG.19, stand a plurality of containers in rows. Next, upon fixing thesecontainers by means of bands etc. and dip them into a plurality ofprocessing baths in which various kinds of chemicals are stored, insequence. In the respective processing baths, a variety of processes(e.g. removal of grease, dehydration, etc.) are applied on the sampleswhile flowing the chemicals in the baths; nevertheless there is nopossibility that the chemicals remain in the accommodating part 110since the container body 100 and the lid body 200 have the great numberof through-holes 116, 201 formed therein to allow the chemicals to flowthrough the accommodating part 110 smoothly. Additionally, owing to theprovision of the hemispherical projections 202 in the lid body 200, thesample processing containers can be arranged at appropriate intervals.Therefore, it is possible to make the flow of chemicals more smoothly.When a series of processes are completed, the lid body 200 is detachedfrom the container body 100, so that a sample 401 is transferred into awrapping dish 400 as shown in FIG. 20(a). Next, as shown in FIG. 20(b),the upside of the wrapping dish 400 is closed up with the container body100 and thereafter, paraffin 402 is supplied into the dish 400 throughthe through-holes 116 in the bottom wall 114 of the container body 100.

After the paraffin 402 has gone hard, the wrapping dish 400 is detachedfrom the container body 100, while the body 100 is clamped by a swivelvice (not shown) or the like. In this state, the sample 401 cast in theparaffin 402 is sliced into pieces together with the paraffin 402.Subsequently, the sliced sample (pieces) 410 is further extended andsupplied for a microscopic observation while being mounted on a slideglass.

Note, in order to prevent the container body 100 from being distorted atclamping, the through-holes are formed only in the bottom wall 114 ofthe container body 100 (100A) and are not formed in the other parts ofthe container body.

What is claimed is:
 1. A sample processing container comprising: acontainer body having an accommodating part for accommodating a sampletherein, a front engagement part arranged at a front of theaccommodating part and a rear engagement part arranged at a rear of theaccommodating part; and a lid body whereas at least a part thereof iscurved, the lid body having a front side and a rear side, the rear sideof the lid body being provided with a rear engagement member which isengageable with the rear engagement part of the container body and thefront side of the lid body being provided with a rear engagement memberwhich is engageable with the front engagement part of the containerbody; wherein engagement of the front and rear engagement members of thelid body with the front and rear engagement parts of the container bodyrespectively allows the lid body to be fitted to the container body andcauses the lid body to be elastically deformed into either a plane stateor a reduced-curved state in which a degree of curvature of the lid bodyis reduced; and wherein releasing the engagement of the front engagementmember of the lid body with the front engagement part of the containerbody allows the lid body to be restored elastically, so that the frontside of the lid body is separated from the container body, wherein: thefront engagement part of the container body comprises: a frontengagement member which extends in a left-and-right direction of thesample processing container and which is elastically displaceable in afront-and-rear direction of the sample processing container and alsoengageable with the front engagement member of the lid body; and animmovable member arranged so that a gap is formed between the frontengaging member and the immovable member with respect to thefront-and-rear direction; when the front engagement member of the lidbody is engaged with the front engagement member, the front engagementmember is positioned in the gap between the front engagement member andthe immovable member of the container body; and upon depressing apredetermined member into the gap between the front engagement memberand the immovable member, the front engagement member of the containerbody is displaced in the front-and-rear direction due to a wedge actionof the predetermined member, whereby the engagement of the frontengagement member of the lid body with the front engagement member ofthe container body is released.
 2. The container according to claim 1,wherein the immovable member of the front engagement part of thecontainer body is formed by a front wall defining a front side of theaccommodating part of the container body.
 3. The container according toclaim 1, wherein the front engagement member of the container body iscapable of swinging about an axis extending in the left-and-rightdirection, and thus the front engagement member can be displaced in thefront-and-rear direction by a swing action of the front engagementmember.
 4. The container according to claim 1, wherein at least a partof gap defined between the front engagement member and the immovablemember of the container body is exposed upward without being coveredwith the lid body when the lid body is fitted to the container body. 5.The container according to claim 4, wherein the lid body is providedwith a pair of the front engagement members; and the gap defined betweenthe front engagement member and the immovable member of the containerbody is exposed upward between the front engagement members withoutbeing covered with the lid body, when the lid body is fitted to thecontainer body.
 6. A sample processing container comprising: a containerbody having an accommodating part for accommodating a sample therein, afront engagement part arranged at a front of the accommodating part anda rear engagement part arranged at a rear of the accommodating part; anda lid body having a base part provided with a rear engagement memberengageable with the rear engagement part of the container body, andfirst and second movable parts connected in parallel to a front side ofthe base part with respect to a left-and-right direction of the sampleprocessing container; wherein the first movable part is provided with afront engagement member engageable with the front engagement part of thecontainer body, and the second movable part is provided with adisengagement member acting on the front engagement part of thecontainer body thereby to release an engagement between the frontengagement part and the front engagement member; and wherein thecontainer body and the lid body are configured so that: the frontengagement member engages with the front engagement part under conditionthat the first movable part is deformed elastically; and when anengagement of the front engagement member with the front engagement partis released by the disengagement member, the first movable part isrestored elastically so that the front engagement member is apart fromthe front engagement part of the container body.
 7. The containeraccording to claim 6, wherein: the front engagement part of thecontainer body has a front engagement member extending in theleft-and-right direction and capable of elastic displacement in afront-and-rear direction; the front engagement member is engageable withthe front engagement member of the first movable part and capable ofdisplacement by an action of the disengagement member of the secondmovable part; and the container body and the lid body are configured sothat, when the disengagement member of the second movable part buttsagainst the front engagement member of the container body and thedisengagement member moves downward, the front engagement member isdisplaced so that the engagement of the front engagement member of thefirst movable part with the front engagement part of the container bodyis released.
 8. The container according to claim 7, wherein the frontengagement member of the container body is capable of swinging about anaxis extending in the left-and-right direction, and thus the frontengagement member can be displaced in the front-and-rear direction by aswing action of the front engagement member.
 9. The container accordingto claim 7, wherein: the disengagement member is formed on an under faceof the second movable part and has a slant face; and when the slant faceof the disengagement member butts against the front engagement member ofthe container body and the disengagement member moves downward, thefront engagement member is displaced forward by the slant face, wherebythe engagement of the front engagement member of the first movable partwith the front engagement part of the container body is released. 10.The container according to claim 6, wherein: the lid body is formed soas to be a generally flat plate when the lid body is fitted to thecontainer body; the front part of the lid body is divided into threeportions by two slits extending in the front-and-rear direction, anintermediate one of the three portions forming the second movable partshaped to be substantially flat, left and right ones of the threeportion forming the first movable part shaped to be curved; and the rearpart of the lid body, which has no slit formed therein, forms the basepart.
 11. The container according to claim 6, wherein: the frontengagement part of the container body has: a front wall defining thefront side of the accommodating part of the container body; and and afront engagement member arranged in front of the front wall so that agap is formed between the front wall and the front engaging member; thedisengagement member is wedge-shaped and is formed on an under face ofthe second movable part; and upon depressing the wedge-shapeddisengagement member into the gap between the front wall of theaccommodating part and the front engagement member, the wedge-shapeddisengagement member displaces the front engagement member, whereby theengagement of the front engagement member of the first movable part withthe front engagement part of the container body is released.
 12. Asample processing container comprising: a container body having anaccommodating part for accommodating a sample therein, a frontengagement part arranged at a front of the accommodating part and a rearengagement part arranged at a rear of the accommodating part; and a lidbody having a base part provided with a rear engagement memberengageable with the rear engagement part of the container body, andimmovable and movable parts connected in parallel to a front side of thebase part with respect to a left-and-right direction, the immovable partbeing substantially immovable to the base part, the movable part beingmovable to the base part, the immovable part being provided with a frontengagement member which is engageable with the front engagement part ofthe container body; wherein the container body and the lid body areconfigured so that: upon movement of the immovable part toward the frontengagement part of the container body, the immovable part engages withthe front engagement part of the container body under condition that themovable part is deformed elastically; and when an engagement of thefront engagement member of the immovable part with the front engagementpart of the container body is released by the disengagement member, themovable part is restored elastically so that the front engagement memberof the immovable part is apart from the front engagement part of thecontainer body.
 13. The container according to claim 12, wherein: thefront engagement part of the container body has: a front engagementmember extending in the left-and-right direction and capable of bothelastic displacement in the front-and-rear direction and engagement withthe front engagement member of the lid body; and an immovable memberarranged so that a gap is formed between the front engaging member andthe immovable member with respect to the front-and-rear direction; whenthe front engagement member of the lid body engages with the frontengagement member of the container body, the front engagement member ispositioned in the gap between the front engagement member and theimmovable member of the container body; and upon depressing apredetermined member into the gap between the front engagement memberand the immovable member, the predetermined member displaces the frontengagement member of the container body in the front-and-rear directiondue to a wedge action of the predetermined member, whereby theengagement of the front engagement member of the lid body with the frontengagement member of the container body is released.
 14. The sampleprocessing container according to claim 13, wherein the immovable memberof the front engagement part of the container body is formed by a frontwall defining a front side of the accommodating part of the containerbody.
 15. The container according to claim 13, wherein at least a partof gap defined between the front engagement member and the immovablemember of the container body is exposed upward without being coveredwith the lid body when the lid body is fitted to the container body. 16.The container according to claim 15, wherein the gap defined between thefront engagement member and the immovable member of the container bodyis exposed upward in an area corresponding to the movable part withoutbeing covered with the lid body when the lid body is fitted to thecontainer body.
 17. The container according to claim 12, wherein themovable part of the lid body is provided with a disengagement member forreleasing the engagement between the front engagement part of thecontainer body and the front engagement member of the immovable part.18. The container according to claim 17, wherein: the front engagementpart of the container body has a front engagement member extending inthe left-and-right direction and capable of elastic displacement in thefront-and-rear direction; the front engagement member of the immovablepart is engageable with the front engagement member of the movable partand capable of displacement by an action of the disengagement member ofthe movable part; and when the disengagement member of the movable partbutts against the front engagement member of the container body and thedisengagement member moves, the front engagement member is displaced sothat the engagement of the front engagement member of the movable partwith the front engagement part of the container body is released. 19.The container according to claim 17, wherein the disengagement member isconnected to the movable part so as to be rotatable about an axisextending in the left-and-right direction, and wherein upon depressingthe disengagement member downward, the disengagement member displacesthe front engagement member of the container body in the front-and-reardirection due to a rotation of the disengagement member.
 20. Thecontainer according to claim 12, wherein the front engagement member ofthe container body is capable of swinging about an axis extending in theleft-and-right direction, and thus the front engagement member can bedisplaced in the front-and-rear direction by a swing action of the frontengagement member.
 21. The container according to claim 12, wherein thelid body is provided with a pair of the immovable parts, and the movablepart is arranged between the immovable parts.
 22. The containeraccording to claim 21, wherein: the lid body is substantially box-shapedwhen the lid body is fitted to the container body; the front part of thelid body is divided into three parts by two slits extending in thefront-and-rear direction, an intermediate one of the three parts formingthe movable part, left and right ones of the three parts forming theimmovable parts; and the rear part of the lid body, which has no slitformed therein, forms the base part.
 23. The container according toclaim 22, wherein the lid body configured so that: when the engagementof the front engagement member of the lid body with the front engagementpart of the container body is released, a top wall of each of theimmovable parts substantially positioned in a plane including a top wallof the base part; and a top wall of the movable part is curved so as tobe gradually apart from the plane including the top wall of the basepart according to its proximity of a front end of the lid body.
 24. Asample processing container comprising: a container body having anaccommodating part for accommodating a sample therein, a frontengagement part arranged at a front of the accommodating part and a rearengagement part arranged at a rear of the accommodating part; and a lidbody whereas at least a part thereof is curved, the lid body having afront side and a rear side, the rear side of the lid body being providedwith a rear engagement member which is engageable with the rearengagement part of the container body and the front side of the lid bodybeing provided with a rear engagement member which is engageable withthe front engagement part of the container body; wherein engagement ofthe front and rear engagement members of the lid body with the front andrear engagement parts of the container body respectively allows the lidbody to be fitted to the container body and causes the lid body to beelastically deformed into either a plane state or a reduced-curved statein which a degree of curvature of the lid body is reduced; and whereinreleasing the engagement of the front engagement member of the lid bodywith the front engagement part of the container body allows the lid bodyto be restored elastically, so that the front side of the lid body isseparated from the container body, wherein a lid body forms thecontainer, wherein the lid body is in the form of a generally flatplate, said lid body comprising: a base part arranged on the rear sideof the lid body, the base part having a rear on a rear side thereof; andfirst and second movable parts connected in parallel to a front side ofthe base part with respect to a left-and-right direction, the firstmovable part being curved, the second movable part being substantiallyflat; wherein the front side of the first movable part is provided witha front engagement member, and a front side of the second movable partis provided with a wedge-shaped member having a slant face.